First proposed by Kandi in August 2011, the plan envisions Hangzhou as the first test site for a new transportation system which would make available 100,000 self-driven Pure EV rentals at centrally operated “smart” vertical parking and charging facilities to be constructed at key locations throughout Hangzhou.

At a seminar in Beijing, held under the auspices of the Enterprise Institute of the Development Research Center of the State Council, a research team led by experts at the Development Research Center of the State Council of China, the China Society Of Automotive Engineers (SAE) and Zhejiang University presented for discussion two reports entitled “China’s Innovative Exploration of an EV Business Model and Corresponding Policies” and “The Feasibility Study of a Public Transportation Project of 100,000 Self driving Rental EVs in Five Years in Hangzhou City.” These were based on the feasibility study first begun nine months ago, entitled “Exploration of a New Business Model for Electric Vehicles and the Public Transportation Project of 100,000 Self driving EV Rentals in Five Years in Hangzhou City,” as proposed by Kandi.

Attendees at the seminar included senior officials and department leaders from the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Science and Technology, National Grid, Zhejiang Province Development and Reform Commission, Economic & Information Commission of Hangzhou City as well as academics from the Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE).

In his presentation, Xiaoming Hu, Chairman and CEO of Kandi said that in Kandi’s model, only pure EVs will be made available to the public as rental cars in a rental service system connected with an automated parking system at vertical parking buildings to be built at a number of key locations throughout the city including the airport, train stations, business centers, apartment complexes and other places that are the focus of commuter traffic in and around the city.

The key elements of the vertical parking system envisioned in the report are smart automated mechanical parking systems, equipped with automatic charging stations. The fully integrated system will allow for monitoring, charging and maintenance of the EVs, parking, an energy supply and an automated mechanism for handling all related transactions. Other features of the system include vehicle locating devices to ensure easy arrivals, departures and safe parking. Charging of vehicles occurs automatically while vehicles are parked.

In addition to providing centralized management of battery charging, maintenance and rent collection, the new system also is efficient with respect to utilization of land resources. For example, 0.5 square meters of space is required in each parking facility for each vehicle or, in other words, 200 vehicles will be able to park in 100 square meters of space.

Most important, according to Hu, will be the substantial improvements in traffic management, environmental contamination, and the savings in time and effort for obtaining parking spaces that are envisioned.

Kandi is involved with the Hangzhou government in a cooperative effort with others such as State Grid and Air China Group (the lithium battery business of Air China) in the implementation of an EV battery swapping model for the launch of 20,000 EVs in the market.